although they do not see the gospel as they ought to do,' yet they are no longer blind;-and that their state is certainly better than that of careless indifference about eternity: and all this deadly poison conveyed in the way of guarded insinuation; sweetened to the palates of the evangelical by the fair speech about the fulness of the gospel' and accompanied, as usual, with a reference to the language of scripture-misapplied and misinterpreted. With any who believe the gospel, nothing more can be necessary for ascertaining what kind of religious spirit animates Mr. H.-than to direct their attention to that passage. But as he refers in it to Acts xvii. I would make it the occasion of offering some observations on the discourse of Paul, there recorded, before the counsel of Areopagus at Athens.

"Men of Athens," said the apostle, "I perceive that in all things ye are extraordinarily religious.” Such is the real import of the word rendered by our translators-" too superstitious." It is a word of (what grammarians call) a middle signification, like our religious; equally applicable, according to the idiom of the greek language, to true or to false religion; and certainly conveyed to his hearers nothing but the idea of that reverence for the gods, which they thought a most proper thing.

In confirmation of this character of the Athenians, the apostle adduces a circumstance which he had observed, that—not content with all the deities whose temples, and statues, and altars filled and adorned their city,-they had erected an altar with the inscription, TO A GOD UNKNOWN. And immediately availing himself of this, with an admirable dexterity of heavenly wisdom, he opens his commission. "That God, therefore, of whom amidst all your religion ye are ignorant, him declare I unto you." He proceeds to set forth that God as the only true God, the creator of the universe, in opposition to all their idols; proves against them the folly and ungodliness of their religious conceptions; on the authority of the only living God calls them to repentance, to the renunciation of their idolatrous thoughts and ways, to a subjection of mind to the divine truth which he testified; and refers them to the approaching day, in which the judgment of God shall be executed on those who reject his word, by that man, whom he hath ordained, and evidenced to be his righteous servant in raising him from the dead. Here the discourse of the apostle appears to have been interrupted by his audience. And now, after having presented these general outlines of his address, I would return to the more particular consideration of some parts of it.

The reader may observe, that I have expressed the latter clause of the 23rd verse differently from our translators. [Every greek scholar, when his attention is called to the original, will see that ¿ depends not upon ευσεβειτε—but upon άγνουντες, and that ευσεβειτε according to its proper import is a verb neuter.] It would be literally rendered" whom therefore ye not knowing are religious," or

devout;" that is (accommodating the phrase to the structure of the English language)" whom therefore ye know not in all your religion, him I declare unto you." I have been often so disgusted with the pruriency of conceited ignorance laying down how this and that psssage ought to be rendered, that it is always with reluctance

and some pain that I offer any correction of our valuable version. But the present is one of the instances, in which it is necessary and important. As the words stand at present in our common translation, I have known them adduced by some for the purpose of disproving the charge of idolatry against religious unbelievers under the christian profession; and for establishing a difference between worshiping a false God-and worshiping (as they say) the true God ignorantly. Yes; these men will be ready even to allow the idolatrous heathens at Athens to have been worshipers of the true God, rather than admit the reproof of the word against the unbelief of antichristian professors at this day. However, it may now appear that they have to look for some other argument to justify their vain distinction, than any which this passage of scripture affords.

And it is well worthy of serious attention, that-when the apostle states it as his commission to declare that God who "made the world and all things therein, the Lord of heaven and earth,"- —we may learn that the character of this only true God is made known to men exclusively in the apostolic doctrine: so that none know HIM, but those who believe that; and no others therefore worship HIM, seek HIM, or call upon his name. (Rom. x. 14.)

Well therefore might the apostles, in describing their ministry, speak of themselves as "testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance toward GoD and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts xx. 21.)-And how plainly may those see, who choose

to see it, the real nature of that repentance, in opposition to all that is now preached under the name;-of that repentance, to which Paul called his Athenian auditors, when he said,- -" the times of this ignorance God winked at," or overlooked, leaving the nations of the earth to their vain inquiries about God,-to see (or make it appear) "if they would grope him out and find him" by the researches of their wisdom-[the greek scholar may advantageously compare the expression in the 27th verse with that in Mark xi. 13.]—" but now commandeth all men every where to repent." What is this repentance of which he speaks? Is it not evident from the connexion that it is nothing more or less, than that new mind which the belief of the apostolic word declaring the only true God brings with it,-the discarding of those unrighteous thoughts concerning God, which they had entertained in opposition to his essential glory?

Truly the apostle must appear to Mr. H. and to many other evangelical preachers-if they would speak the truth, or venture to look at their own thoughts-to have made a very poor sermon of it, in not having lashed the vices of his auditors,-(particularly when he had so fine a field for invective against the manners of that dissolute people)-in not having pressed upon their notice the vast importance of eternity, (p. 15.)-as well as in not having coaxed them to credit his testimony. But Paul knew his commission better. He lays the axe to the root of the tree. He clearly exposes their brutal ignorance of God amidst all their religion and all their philosophy; and leaves them without excuse for the ungodly conceptions they formed of Him, who "is not far from every one of us," seeing that "in Him we live, and move, and have our being."

Indeed, in attacking the vain imagination, that He is to be wor

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shiped and served by men's hands-as though he needed something,— and in exposing its ungodly absurdity from the consideration that "HE giveth to all life, and breath, and all things,"-Paul attacked the very fundamental principle of all the natural religion of man's heart, whether that religion assume the christian name and form, or any other. It all proceeds upon the expectation of a sinner's being able to make God his debtor;-to render something unto him-as though he needed it,-in order to receive something in requital from him. With what indignant majesty does the divine word rebuke the proud and impious idea, in the language of ELIHU! (Job xxxv. 6, 7.) If thou sinnest, what doest thou against HIM? Or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto HIM? If thou be righteous, what givest thou HIM? Or what receiveth HE of thine hand ?"— And how does the grand discovery of God in the gospel of his Son harmonize with every conception of him, which right reason ought to form, but which the blinded heart of ungodly man never did form,in revealing Him as the GIVER of eternal life to sinners dead in trespasses and sins!-But for the comfort of those, who think they have something, or can do something, whereby to obtain this boon at the hands of God,-(be that something little, or be it much)—there stands a proclamation in the divine word summoning them to put in their claim :-"who hath first given to the Lord, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?" (Rom. xi. 35. Job xli. 11.)-When Mr. H. next takes up his pen, to screen the religion and religious efforts of unbelieveing men against the rebuke of the truth, and to urge in extenuation of their unbelief—in proof of their religion being better than irreligion-that it is the will of God that men should feel after him and find him;' I beg of him to take into consideration, and to give his exposition of another word of the apostle; namely this :"after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

Mr. H. assures us (p. 16.) that all who hear the gospel are prevented from believing it by nothing but their love of sin.' And I think this as good an exemplification as I know of the bad art of-conveying falsehood in saying truth. I do unequivocally agree with Mr. H.'s position, in one most important sense of the words. Nothing prevents a sinner from believing the gospel, but the disaffection of his heart to that God, whose glory it reveals: and this hatred of the true God imbodies in it indeed the love of sin. In it is concentered and displayed all the malignity of evil in our fallen nature. But while I acknowledge and assert the truth of Mr. H.'s words in this sense, I must plainly add that in the sense in which he employs them, and evidently intends them to be understood by his readers, they are most grossly and abominably false. In the same paragraph he exemplifies what he means by sin, from the mention of worldly-mindedness; and from his assertion that it is only from the gospel's interference with our hopes of happiness in worldly objects, that it is not universally received.' When Mr. H. thinks that nothing but such love of sin as this prevents men from doing their duty in becoming believers, no wonder that he considers the work of making men christians as at least half done, when they have become deeply impressed with the

vast importance of eternity,'-anxious about a future state,-and very sincerely and earnestly religious.

In the language of such men, sin means merely the practices of the dissolute and profligate,-the course of the sensualist, the voluptuary, and the profane. But has Mr. H. never read of persons, who were prevented from believing the gospel by a " zeal of God," and by "following after the law of righteousness?" (Rom. x. 2. ix. 30.) Has he never heard of a man "giving his body to be burned" in his zeal for false religion? or laying it on the ground to be crushed under the wheels of his idol-god, in his deadness to all hopes of happiness in this life, and his eagerness to ensure felicity in a future state of being? I suppose if Mr. H. met with such a deluded votary of Jaggernaut, he would be sure of making a convert to the christian faith of one so little worldly-minded. Be assured, sir, you are prevented from believing the gospel much more by your love of what you think goodness, than by your love of what you call sin.

The reader may find at the end of the tract No. 2. [vide post. p. 513.] some more scriptural account of the causes which make men stumble at the word of God. But I should be glad to learn from Mr. H. how this same love of sin, which he says is the only thing that prevents men from believing the gospel, is to be subdued in any. By persuading them to renounce every thing which they are putting in competition with eternal life.' (p. 16.) Aye; but how are they to be persuaded to this renunciation? O! by a process of moral husbandry;' (p. 8.)-by arguing with them on the folly of their worldly-mindedness,' and 'pressing on their notice the vast importance of eternity.' (p. 15. 16.) Well, sir: it pleased God formerly by the foolishness of the apostolic preaching of Christ crucified, "to save them that believed;"-to save them from their sins ;-to "turn them to God from idols, to serve the living and the true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven :" (1 Thess. i. 9, 10.) and the same thing still pleases him. "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" "Faith worketh by love;" -by that love which “rejoiceth with the truth," and rejoiceth not in-but abhorreth-all that iniquity, which is opposed to the truth of God. And when you, by your moral husbandry, and by the false gospel which you employ as its instrument, have made a convert animated by your own spirit of religious zeal against that despised truth and its calumniated witnesses,-you have a man as much animated by the love of sin-by that carnal mind which is " enmity against God," as he was before. This testimony, unless you be given repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth," must appear to you only another specimen of my harshness and severity. But I dare not soften or qualify it; when I consider the ground you have taken of public opposition to the word, and the stated office of a religious teacher which you hold.

One effect at least has resulted from my late publications, and the indignation which they have excited: and it is an effect which I contemplate with satisfaction. In more than one instance, the mask has dropped off from persons, who were supposed by many not to differ essentially in doctrine from those stigmatized by the name of SANDEMANIANS.

SECTION VI.

Popular misapplication of Luke xiii. 24.-The passage applied to the believer.— Common version of Phil. ii. 12. corrected. (See notes.)- Wicked use made of the passage. No man standing in the faith will think of at all working out his own salvation.-One spring of all the believer's hope towards God.—Mr. H.'s joy greater than that which is unspeakable and full of glory.-1 Peter i. 8.-Rom. xv. 13.-The fruits of righteousness.-The believer addressed on their inseparable connexion with the faith of the gospel.-Evidences.

MR. HALDANE Observes (p. 43.) that he knows not whether I 'would employ the language adopted by the Lord and his apostles,' but that he has 'met with nothing in my letters resembling such passages as the following'-" Strive to enter in at the strait gate”— "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."-Any notice that I take of this or similar strictures of Mr. H. cannot legitimately be to satisfy him, or others, that I would employ the language adopted by Christ and his apostles; but to call the attention of my readers to the real meaning of their language, in opposition to the perverted application of it by the popular preachers.

"Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, strive to enter in [aywvisos, maintain the contest for entering in] at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke xiii. 23, 24. A similar admonition is given by the Lord to his disciples, in Matt. vii. 13, 14. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Whenever a professed disciple is insensible to the solemn weight of those words, it is more than probable that he is walking in the broad way, and knows not whither he is going. But indeed there are multitudes bestirring themselves most earnestly in a religious course, and persuaded that they are conforming themselves to this divine admonition, who yet totally mistake its meaning, and are but seeking to enter into life, in a way, in which they never shall be able.

The words are commonly handled by the religious teachers of the day for the purpose of exciting their hearers to strenuous effortsfor entering into a state of peace with God, for obtaining the forgiveness of their sins and acceptance before the Most High. They often (with deceitful jugglery) instruct the sinner to labour as vigorously in the task assigned him for this purpose, as if he thought that he could do the whole; and then-to be very humble-to depend as exclusively upon the false Christ of their system, as if he thought he could himself do nothing in the work. By many, who think themselves much clearer than these in evangelical doctrine, the words are employed for the purpose of stirring up those, whom they regard perhaps as children of God, but who have not "the answer of a good conscience," nor any assured hope and filial confidence towards him,